Health

This month's awe inspiring success story comes from a good friend of mine named Hank Garner. Hank describes himself as a man who is incredibly blessed. Happily married for 17 years to his wife Dawn, they have 5 wonderful children and enjoy small-town life in Southern Mississippi. A web designer, Hank loves spending time with his family, the outdoors and being active. His newest passion is running, which he does 4 or 5 days a week.

Dana Carpender has done the HCG Protocol & Atkins Fat Fast at separate times. Now she shares her experience doing HCG & Atkins Fat Fast at the same time. "I had, in the past, tried the much-written-about HCG protocol. I had been willing to try it because it was clear that Dr. Simeons, who developed it, had a deep distrust of carbohydrates. I figured that made him my kind of guy." Indeed, his basic instructions for maintenance are "No starch or sugar for the first several weeks, and be cautious with them for the rest of your life."

This month's source of inspiration comes from a sweet lady named Debbie Cusick. Debbie, retired from IBM, resides in Florida with her dog Flo, and three cats who graciously allow Debbie and Flo to bask in their presence. She's a birdwatcher, avid reader of mysteries, involved in choral singing and working with Flo, whom she hopes to eventually enter into obedience and/or agility competitions with in the near future. Another hobby of Debbie's is pastel painting. And let me tell you, this lady has some talent. She also has the talent of inspiring others. Today, you'll see why.

Back in the day, there was a "tonic" called Hadacol. It was hyped as vitamin elixir, a dietary supplement, a source of vitamins B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), and B3(niacin), plus iron. Hadacol was advertised as something you would take for your health, that would relieve the root cause of many ailments, from heartburn to nervous disorders.

Ten years. It's been ten crazy, fantastic, sometimes frustrating years that I've tried to live the low-carb lifestyle. What is has not been, is perfect. Or rather, I haven't been perfect, and I'm okay with that.

I sat down today at my dining table to make a list of the reviews I have yet to finish. I've still got a lot to share, so it's quite a list. Sitting there I realized a couple of things.

I have read a big ol' pile of nutrition books in the past 33 years. I generally learn at least a little something from each one, or at the very least am reminded of a point I may have forgotten. But in his new book Wheat Belly, Dr. William Davis, a cardiologist from Milwaukee, and author of Track Your Plaque, and the Heart Scan Blog has written a book in which the majority of the information is new to me. I am agog. And excited - I am a big nutrition geek, after all; it's thrilling to have this sort of stuff presented to me, and presented in such a readable form.

Dana Carpender's CarbSmart Espresso Chocolate Chip Brownies

Chances are you've seen the news already: Fructose can cause cancer. Specifically, this study looked at pancreatic cancer, a particularly deadly and intractable form of cancer, and one that has been increasing in frequency. I was unable to find the full text of this article, but gleaned that it demonstrated that cancer cells are particularly able to use fructose to reproduce, fueling tumor growth.

My nephew Henry and niece Halliday came to stay with That Nice Boy I Married and I this past week. We had a super-great time with them, as we always do - went to the county fair, did a little geocaching, watched a few movies, and just generally hung out.

Diabetes Health recently published an article by diabetes expert Hope Warshaw that has stirred up quite a hornet's nest in the low carb community. In her piece titled Type 2 Diabetes: From Old Dogma to New Realities, Warshaw discusses what she believes are basically old wives' tales about diabetes care, while recommending a fantastic new treatment. The problem here? Her ideas are not new, fantastic or even scientific. And that old wives' tale, or "old dogma" as she likes to phrase it, happens to be what science has proven to work for those wishing to sustain healthy blood sugar levels. What is the old dogma you ask? A low carbohydrate diet.

The low carb world has been abuzz with the news that Diabetes Health Magazine recently published an article, Type 2 Diabetes: From Old Dogmas to New Realities - Part 2 by a registered dietician and diabetes educator named Hope Warshaw. Ms Warshaw wrote this article, she says, to debunk two what she calls "common old dogmas" regarding diabetes management.